Intra-Household Work Timing: The Effect on Joint Activities and the Demand for Child Care

Chris van Klaveren (), Henriette Maassen van den Brink () and Bernard M.S. van Praag ()
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Henriette Maassen van den Brink: University of Amsterdam

No 5636, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Abstract: This study examines if couples time their work hours and how this work timing influences child care demand and the time that spouses jointly spend on leisure, household chores and child care. By using a innovative matching strategy, this studies identifies the timing of work hours that cannot be explained by factors other than the partners' potential to communicate on the timing of their work. The main findings are that couples with children create less overlap in their work times and this effect is more pronounced the younger the children. We find evidence for a togetherness preference of spouses, but only for childless couples. Work timing also influences the joint time that is spent on household chores, but the effect is small. Finally, work timing behavior affects the demand for informal child care, but not the demand for formal child care.

Keywords: labor supply; work timing; time allocation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 I31 J12 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-04
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Related works:
Working Paper: Intra-Household Work Timing: The Effect on Joint Activities and the Demand for Child Care (2011)
Working Paper: Intra-Household Work Timing: The Effect on Joint Activities and the Demand for Child Care (2011)
Working Paper: Intra-Household Work Timing: The Effect on Joint Activities and the Demand for Child Care (2009)
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